Lower Blue (Green Mountain to Spring Creek)
Colorado – US
- Class
- II+ to III
- Length
- 3.8 Mile(s)
- Gradient
- 50 FPM
- Put-in elevation
- 7,803 Feet
- Take-out elevation
- 7,536 Feet
- Typical season
- April to September
- Author
- Erik Larsson
Current Flow
626 CFS
Gauge height: 5.09 FT
Reading from Jul 10, 2026 10:00 PM
● 0.00/hr (12h) ● 0.00/hr (24h)
Hit some laps
- Primary gauge
- BLUE RIVER BELOW GREEN MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR, CO. Gauge detail & alternatives Live gauge ↗
Recommended levels
| Minimum | 300 |
| Average | 800 |
| Maximum | 3,000 |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
Description
This is a scenic section of the Blue that is good for beginner boaters at the right flows. At flood flows or higher flows the rating steps up to a solid class III. Rapids are mainly pool drop here but obstacles and possible wood/strainers would make swimming less than desireable.
This run commonly bumps up in fall to supply downstream agricultural demands. Looks for decent flows in spring and then again in Sept, Oct, and November.
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mini Canyon | II to III | 3,000–— | The first class III action of this run and lost likely to trip up beginners. |
|
| 2 | All Day Wave | II- to III- | 3,000–— | Every run has one. Decent front suf but rarely enough water for vertical moves. Great eddy service, so good for beginner boaters learning to surf. |
|
| 3 | The Wall | II to III | 3,000–— | Know it by the approaching cliff wall river left. At higher flows swims can be longer here, since below the wall there is some fast moving boogie water. Stay left for easy, stay right for harder. The most fun rapid on this run. |
|
| 4 | Diversion Dams 1+2 | II to II+ | 3,000–— | Two diveson dams exist on this run. They can generally be run anywhere that suits you and good eddies exist directly above for boat scouting. Though these can be intimidating for beginners they rarely result in carnage. Easily portaged river right. |
Boat scout on river right, directly above pour over. |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Green Mountain Dam | 7,803 Feet | No | No | No | All Vehicles | Find Green Mountain Reservoir off of Highway 9. Make your way to the dam/causeway and take a small access road on the far side down to the river. Put in here. |
| Take-Out | Spring Creek Road | 7,536 Feet | No | No | No | All Vehicles | From the put in continue north on Highway 9 for 2-3 miles and turn left (west) onto Spring Creek Road. Follow this to where it crosses the Blue. Take out on river left. River right is private property. NOTE: This is a sensitive access point, please be courteous. Grand County officials are not kayak friendly, nor are the ranchers whose easement this is. Please have your fun at the put in instead. Rafts are not allowed to use this access, strictly kayaks as posted. |
Camps
No river camps added yet.
Permit
No permit is required, or permit info hasn't been added yet.
Fishing
No fish species have been associated with this run yet.
Points of Interest
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